How-to: Make a PS360 controller

One of Ben's most popular hacks recently was the PS360 controller, a SIXAXIS modded into an Xbox 360 controller's shell, crashing his site not once, but twice upon its release. This project resulted in a lot of requests to duplicate this mod, showing either a very universal disdain for the PS3 controller's decade-old shape, or some strange obsession with the Xbox 360's chubby, winged form. Unfortunately. Ben didn't have the time to meet all these requests (plus he charges an arm and a leg), so we asked him to show you How-To build your own PS360 controller. It's not terribly difficult, just takes some time, elbow grease and, of course, lots of hot glue. Let's get started!

Note: This is an intermission project, part 3 of the "How-to: Make an Xbox 360 laptop" will be returning next week.

Parts you'll need

• PS3 SIXAXIS controller - We're actually not familiar with the wired version, but we'd assume it'd work the same way, just no battery.
• Xbox 360 controller - For this example we're using a wireless one, which is handy because the PS3 battery can go in the 360's battery pack space. If you use the slightly cheaper wired controller you may have to bolt the PS3 battery on the back, but don't fret -- it's not very big and fairly thin. (Just pray it doesn't become a Sony firework.)
• Perfboard with pre-drilled copper plated holes - Any type will work, such as Radio Shack Catalog #: 276-148, #: 276-150 or #: 276-147.
• Thin wires - As usual I suggest solid strand thin UATA33 hard drive cable. This'll allow us to arrange things nicely inside the case. A few spots will requite slightly thicker (think floppy cable) wires.
  
• x(4) T-1 sized LEDs - These 3mm diameter LEDs will be used for the ring of light. Choose any color you'd like, for this project red was used. For Digi-key, search for "led round 3mm t-1", for Mouser the same but omit the word "round".
• x(2) 4.7k ohm resistors and (1) 10k ohm resistor - 1/4 watt is best (smaller), available at Radio Shack or online.
• Superglue - We always keep about 10 packs of this laying around. We suggest the liquid type, it's more predictable than the gel.
• x(11) 6mm tact switches - For the main buttons. Digi-Key part # EG2495-ND, Mouser part # 688-SKHHAQ
• x(2) 4.5mm tact switches - For the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons. Digi-Key part # CKN9018-ND, Mouser part # 688-SKHRAH
• x(4) size 3 screws, 1/2-inch long - For securing the case back together. You could use the existing security screws but they're a pain.
  

Tools you'll need

• Dremel tool with cutoff wheel - Almost essential for this job. We don't know how we went 6 years without one, though it might explain our slight insanity.
• Soldering iron and desoldering iron - The usual recommendations apply.
• X-Acto knife - Really quite indispensable, especially if you're a Terminator and need to pull out your fake eyeball.
• Hot Glue Gun - This will come in quite handy for a project like this. If it seems too low tech and your friends catch you using it, you can always refer to it as "thermal prototyping gel".
• Thin tipped magic markers - Very useful for, well, marking things. We have a whole tub of then on our workbench.
• Regular small Phillips screwdriver - To get into the SIXAXIS..
• Small Torx screwdriver - This gets us into the 360 controller.

Opening up the controllers

First we need to get these controllers open. We'll start with the slightly tricky one - the 360.

The 360 controller, unlike the console for whatever reason, uses tamper-resistant pin-in-Torx screws. Note how it's tamper resistant, not tamper proof (and really, what is?). There are a couple of ways to get in there: use a Dremel cutoff wheel to make a small notch in the end of a Torx screwdriver. This groove will go around the pin enough to let you unscrew it.

• Stick a small, thin flat-headed screwdriver in one side of the Torx head. This lets you get a grip on the screw and rotate it out with relative ease.
• There is a screw hidden inside the battery compartment under the sticker nearest the terminals.

Here's the disassembled 360 controller. We'll be using most of it except the circuit board and motors (natch).

We'll also need the shoulder buttons, which are soldered to the circuit board. Desolder the 3 spots on each button as shown above (upper arrows) and snap the buttons free by pulling on the tabs indicated by the lower arrows. Alright that's it, let's move on!

Gutting the SIXAXIS

The SIXAXIS uses standard Phillips screws and thus can be taken apart normally. (Maybe the lack of security screws lost them that Emmy?)

The only hangup is a notch between the analog sticks. We'll need to press in this spot to get the controller shell to pop open. Takes a decent bit of force, but it'll come free.

The first thing we'll see in there is the battery. It has a little plug which allows easy removal. Below this is a screw which, once removed, allows the PCB to pull free.

Unlike the 360, we're covering the guts of this controller in detail because that's what we'll be using in the final product. Here we see the button grid, shoulder buttons and analog sticks. The plastic grid terminates into a connector on the PCB, simply pull it out to detach. We'll come back to the actual pinout of this later.

Here's the next layer of the controller. (Note how it's quite complicated compared to the 360's.) The main thing to keep in mind here is the position of (what we'd assume to be) the tilt sensor. It is mounted at about 25 degrees of tilt as viewed from the rear (like above). When you place it in the 360 shell be sure it's in the same orientation! It's best to leave it in this plastic frame until you're ready to transfer it, mostly so you remember how to mount it.

Next we'll need to desolder both analog sticks, which can be a bit tricky in this RoHS world. This stands for "Restriction on harzardous substances", which means the controller has no lead in it. From our experience this makes desoldering through-hole components harder than it used to be because it seems harder to pull all of the solder out of the hole.

Here are some various ways to remove the analog sticks. Please note we are making all these technique names up as we go.

• Liquid solder method - Dump extra solder on the leads you wish to remove, then heat it all up with your desoldering iron or another higher wattage iron. (A 15 watt pencil iron won't work) This will liquify the solder in the though-holes and allow you to loosen the part on the other side. If you can get someone to help you with this you'll have an easier time of it.
• Standard desoldering - This can work, but be sure you have a brand-new flat, clean tip to get the best vacuum possible.
• "Heat and pry" - Heat up the three pins on each of the side potentiometers and pry them away from the main stick body with a thin screwdriver. They can actually pop loose, making it easier to remove them one by one. You can snap them back onto the stick body afterwards.

Here is the PCB with the analog sticks removed, along with one of the potentiometers. As mentioned above these snap onto the main stick easily, so don't worry if you need to remove them during the desoldering procress. You may notice they're actually smaller than the analog sticks on the 360, PS2 or original Xbox. They are closer in size to those in a Gamecube controller.

Yes, Ben is letting his torn-up thumbs heal. But only because he has a TV appearance forthcoming.

The right analog stick is going back into its original spo, but we desoldered it to add a spacer underneath. Find a bit of plastic or material that's around 1/16th-inch thick and superglue it to the bottom of the stick. What this does is lift the right analog stick a bit higher, so it has more range of motion when it's in the 360's analog stick hole. Figuring this out was the single biggest headache when we built the first PS360 controller, so now we've passed the solution onto you. Tip your bartenders.

The right analog stick, back in its original spot but now a bit higher with a spacer underneath.

The final thing we need to remove is the connector for the button grid, so we can solder directly to the board. The connector is surface mount, but we have a clever way of removing it.

• Stick your ever-useful X-Acto knife under each of the connector pins (be sure the tip is sharp so it can get in there) heat the pin slightly with your 15 watt iron then slide it out in the direction of the arrow. Repeat for all of them.
• With the pins all gone, heat the mounting pads on either end of the connector to pull it off the PCB.

The end result. You could actually rebuild the connector if you wanted, but there's no real reason to.

The PCB thus far. Note how the 360 analog knob fits perfectly -- no hacking required to get it on the PS3 stick.

Alright, we've got the main PCB all broken down, reworked and ready for the next step: putting it all in a 360 controller shell.

Mouting the left analog stick and shoulder buttons

Now that we have the right analog stick mounted we need to the left, which is a bit more customized.

• Take a piece of the perfboard and mark off an area that fits the analog stick mounting as shown above.
• Cut out the shape either with a Dremel or by making several deep grooves in the perfboard on each side with a knife and then snapping it free.

Using the Dremel cutoff wheel, shave down the walls around the analog stick mount so that they are flush with (the same height as) the walls around the D-pad mount.

The analog stick mount, cut down to be flush with the d-pad mount.

• Shave away any excess plastic in the analog mount, as we cleary haven't done yet in the photo above.
• Superglue a 4.5-inch tact switch to the top of the analog mount area and attach 2 wires. Attach one one the other side to the top of the triangle button wall as well. These will be the left and right bumper buttons.
• Place the bumper button portion of the case in and see how well it fits -- you may need to carve some plastic out inside the button to get a good solid "click" going.

How the case should look thus far.

The bumper button set in place over the tact switch. You can add a bit of material, or carve away inside the button to adjust the "feel"of the button as you like. Now let's mount the left analog stick.

Place the analog stick, with the 360's gray nob installed, into the analog stick mount chamber, as shown above. The 4 pin built-in tact switch (the L3 button) should be facing the left side of the controller.

• Place the piece of perfboard over this and push the leads through. Some of them might need a little tweaking to fit.
• Solder all 10 pins to the perfboard, then secure the board to the case as you see best fit. Naturally, we used a bit of hot glue around the edges. We'll cover how to wire this later on.

Place the PCB against the case to check the fit. Dremel down any posts that keep it from fitting flush as shown above. Post areas that may need trimming are the square button and the select and start buttons.

Wiring your own "Ring of Light"

The 360's Ring of Light is not only functional but also iconic -- great job, designers! That said, let's rework it to display the 4 LEDs from the PS3 controller.

First of all, use the Dremel cutoff tool to remove the bottom 1/8th-inch from the Ring of Light plastic from the Xbox 360 controller. We need to do this because the PS3 board is installing a little closer to the front than the 360's PCB.

• Next we'll need to cut grooves for the LEDs since we're using large, non-surface mount ones.
• Cut a "U" shaped groove into each opening on the plastic, along with a bit of a lip for the rim of the LED. When the LED fits flush into the hole (level with the back) it's good to go!
• Place this plastic in the Xbox 360 shell and mark off on the insides where the grooves are. Since the LEDss will be partially outside the circle (see below) we'll need to make grooves in the case plastic as well so they'll fit.
• The cutoff wheel will work for this, though it might chew out a few other things inside the case (not a big deal). We can also make these grooves with a sharp X-Acto knife since the plastic wall is fairly thin.

• Snip the leads off the lead at an angle, so one is still long than the other to indicate polartity. Long lead is positive, short is negative.
• Place the LEDss in the grooves, leads pointing outwards, and secure them with a bit of super glue. Once that's dry you may want to add a bit more or a thin layer of hot glue on top.

• The surface-mount LEDs on the PS3 controller are wired in a "common anode" configuration, which means they'll all connected to the same positive voltage and they are triggered by the negative side. When the negative "goes low" the circuit is complete and the LED lights up.
• Solder the (4) long positive LED leads together with thin bits of wire, and then attach a longer thin wire to this which will be going back to the controller.
• Solder (4) individual thin wires to each of the shorter negative leads. About three inches long will suffice for these and the positive wire.
• Secure the ring of light plastic in the shell however you'd like. We used a small bit of superglue -- enough to hold it, but not so much it won't break loose if we have to rework something.
• We'll cover wiring this to the PCB a little later on.
  

Rebuilding and rewiring the main PS3 triggers

Ok we're making some progress! Time to rebuild the four main PS3 triggers. We'll make this as simple as possible, attaching things to the existing PCB when we can. No need to reinvent the wheel -- just hack it a bit, we always say.

Start by placing one 6mm tact switch onto the PCB as shown in the circle-button position.

Hold the PCB against the case and check to see that the switch is visible through the square button hole. It will probably need to be over to the right, but that's fine.

With the PCB against the case, place another piece of perfboard against the area where the other three buttons are. Trim away the excess edges along the left analog stick.

• Secure this perfboard to the edge of the main PCB, we suggest a bit of superglue to hold it initially, then some hot glue to further secure it.
• Install (3) more 6mm tact switches, lining them up with the x, circle and triangle button holes.

• Desolder the battery jack from the PCB.
• Using some normal thickness ribbon cable wire (such as from a floppy drive) solder an extension for the battery jack that's about 2-inches long. Be sure to check the polarity based off how the plug was originally mounted.
• Solder a few pieces of wire leads (perhaps those we snipped off the LEDs) to the exposed solder at the edge of the PCB, which is ground. Solder this to the attached perfboard as shown above to provide a little more stability to the hack.

Wiring the buttons and making a D-pad

Alright let's wire up these buttons. For your reference he's the pinout of the original button grid. It's easy to follow the traces but we've labeled it to make things even easier. Print out the large version for a "bigger than life" cheat sheet for the button rewiring.

Click here for larger version where you can actually read the text

Note how there are two spots on the grid that function basically as 4.7k resistors and are placed between some connections - we'll rewire these into our controller as well. You can also use a multimeter to test the connections between button pads and the connector end, to ensure you're wiring things correctly.

By using a multimeter we can find the value of the "resistors" built into the plastic button grid. We'll save you the trouble, they're both 4.7k. The original Nintendo 8-bit controller used this "carbon trace" resistor things as pull-up resistors.

General tips on how the d-pad and buttons are wired:

• The D-pad and L1 / L2 all share a common ground, labeled "Common L" (for left) above.
• The PS button has two connections all to itself, though one connects to "Common L" through a 4.7k resistor.
• Select and reset buttons share a common ground "Common M" (for middle).
• The four main triggers, R1 / R2 share a common ground, "Common R" (for, you guessed it, right).
• There is a connection that goes to a 4.7k resistor and then to Common M.
  

A note on wiring tact switches

Tact switches usually have four leads on them, though the upper and lower two pins are actually connected together.

The above diagram shows the ways in which you can connect a tact switch and how not to. You can, however, use the upper and lower connected pins as a common ground connection or a pass-through, as we'll show next.

• Place four tact switches on the lower left side of the PCB to make the D-pad. The centers of each switch should be about one inch apart from each other, but you can check this against the case and rig it as best suits you.
  
• Note how the connected pins of the tact switches are used to create a "loop" for the "Common L" ground. This lets us use fewer and smaller wires, allowing a more compact design.
• Place two tact switches for the PS and start buttons, as shown. One goes just above the motion sensor plug, the other in the middle of the RF box.
  

• Here is the D-pad wired, along with the home button. Note the resistor that has been placed between Common L and the Home 1 connection.
• Be sure to use a low wattage soldering iron when making the small connections to the PCB. Pre-tin the wires so all you need to do is place it on the spot and heat it a little to make the connection.

Using a sharp X-Acto knife, shave off the lower sides of the PS3 buttons. The tops of the buttons will fit through the holes on the 360 controller but the PS3 buttons, unlike the 360 buttons, flare out a bit on the sides and thus need to be modifed to be flush in the button shafts.

• Place the modified button into the hole, it should stick out the front of the case about 1/8th of an inch.
• Cut grooves along the side of the button holder walls, down to the level of the button.
• Place a bit of wire, paperclip or even a toothpick across the button and through the grooves you cut. and dab of bit of hot glue on top to secure it to the inside of the button. This ensures it won't rotate in the slot.

• Once again, place the PCB against the controller to see how it fits and if the buttons can "click" yet.
• We may need to put little spaces on top of the wires inside the buttons so they can reach the tact switches. We used 1/16th-inch thick plastic circles we had laying around, but anything semi-solid that fits is fine.
• Try a bit of foam insulation under the buttons to give them a softer feel when pressed.
• Using the Dremel, shave off the ridges on the bottom of the plastic d-pad, as shown above. With the ridges it's too thick, but with the base flattened it should be just the right height to press against the four tact switches and function properly.

Mounting the tilt sensor and main PCB in the 360 controller

Let's mount the world-famous "heart of the SIXAXIS" into the 360 shell...

The sensor as originally mounted in the button grid frame.

Remove the sensor from the PS3 controller frame, shown here from behind (facing the player) Note how it is slightly tilted up on the right hand side.

Place the sensor in the middle of the 360 controller shell. There should be room for it under the Ring of Light and between the analog stick and D-pad. Note how it's been skillfully hot-glued into place at clearly the exact same angle. Oh yeah, we used laser sights and everything for this bad boy.

Reworking and installing the battery

Alright we're getting close. Time to hack up the battery, because in stock form it won't fit. Again, if you're using a wired 360 controller you'll probably just want to mount the battery as-in on the back of the unit. But if you're gutting a wireless 360 controller with its juicy AA battery spot, read on!

• Using an X-Acto knife, slice along the groove down one side of the battery. Repeat for the other side.
• Pull the gray casing off to reveal the silver battery and circuit board inside. Be careful not to bend the tabs between the batter and the board any more than you need to.

• Fire up the Dremel and cut open the middle of the rear half of the 360 controller shell. We need to make a big access gap to mount the battery.
• While we're at it we need to grind down the posts shown by the top two arrows above, and the post and plastic ridges indicated by the lower arrows.

The controller with the battery area gutted.

• Cut off the back (inside) of the AA battery holder, then insert it into the controller. Since it's never coming off again we can hot glue it in place.
• Place the shoulder button assemblies into the rear half of the controller and secure them in three places each with hot glue. Near the side posts (that they slide onto), the other side of this and near the arrows shown above are good places to secure them.
• Also near the arrows are bits of plastic ridges on the inside of the case that you may need to Dremel down (now Dremel is a verb apparently) for everything to fit. Again, it's best to try and fit everything in and see what needs to be shaved off along the way, so experiment.

Slap the battery in the newly-formed compartment at a 45-degree angle and secure it with -- you guessed it -- hot glue! At this point we're very close to having this controller done and ready to play any of the six PS3 games currently on the market! Let's finish up, shall we?

Wiring the analog shoulder buttons and finishing up the case.

As yet we haven't wired the PCB to the front of the case. That is, until now!

The original PS3 LEDs, which we are going to destroy.

• Dump a bit bunch of solder on the four surface-mount LEDs of the PCB which are shown above in close-up.
• Heat up the solder on each LED, then push it off the board using the iron. For best results push off the edge of the board (not down) or you might risk desoldering something you don't want to.
• Connect the common positive of the ring of light to the common positive indicated above. Ditto for the individual grounds, which have been labeled as "discrete negatives" above.
• Press the PCB against the front of the case, "packing" wires down to fit as you go. Assuming you used thin wire, there should be enough room for the LED wires in the chasms between the left analog stick and the ring of light.

The left analog stick wiring, as views from the rear (inside controller).

• Using thin wires, solder the left analog stick to the back of the PCB, using the diagram shown above. The center wires are the signals, the outer wires are positive and negative voltage.
  
• Solder bits of wire between the leads on the analog stick as indicated by black lines. This allows us to double up the positive and negative connections to each potentiometer and use less wires.
• Be sure to wire the tact switch (L3) as indicated to the upper two pins on the SIXAXIS PCB.

Here's the front of the controller with everything wired up. Be sure to connect the L1 and R1 buttons to their respective common grounds as indicated in the button wiring section.

Now let's wire up the analog triggers, L2 and R2 in PlayStation-speak...

• Note: The 360 analog shoulder buttons are a bit different than the PS3's, mostly because they're actually mechanical and not just based off squashing a silicon dome. They use a potentiometer (variable resistor, like a volume control on a Walkman if you remember those) to determine how far the trigger is pulled.
  
• R2 is easy, simply connect the R2 wire off the PCB to the upper pin of the right potentiometer, and a wire coming from the "Common R" connection to the middle.
• L2 is a bit different because of the way the 360 shoulder buttons are mirrored. It's wired the same way as R2, except you need to put a 10k ohm resistor between the top and middle pins. Not a big deal.

Both halves of the case, ready to rock.

Finishing up

• Use 1/2-inch long size 3 screws to secure the case together. Be sure no wires get trapped between the screw posts or it obviously won't fit.
• If the case doesn't quite fit back together check inside and see if there's a bit of plastic blocking a part inside.

• The top 2 screw holes will be unusable because the PS3 PCB will be in the way. However if you get everything inside packed well the controller will secure together well enough with the other 4 screws.
• Find or print a PlayStation logo to use for the "home" button. Since it's a trademarked logo we probably can't provide this for you but there's always Google Images, right? You could also use the original "X" guide button, or hack the top off and stick a PS3 logo there.

Conclusion

You now have the information you need to roll your own PS360 controller, either for yourself or a friend who doesn't know which end of the soldering iron to hold. Enjoy, and let's hope when Sony throws the rumble back in they take a few minutes to design a new controller around it as well.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 4:45PM]

"Or I’m the only one who think this is “retardly” stupid."

Yeah, I think you are the only one.

Somebody goes through the time and effort of offering a how-to (which Ben does frequently) and you insult him?

What are you doing on Engadget? Get out!

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 7th 2008 7:28PM]

I would *love* to do this, because I greatly dislike the PS3 controller. I'll admit it, I have freakishly short thumbs. Only problem is I think I lack the technical experience to pull it off without spending 600 dollars on replacement controllers. Maybe some day....

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 23rd 2008 9:43AM]

Stupid and pointless!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 9th 2008 1:57PM]

anyone willing to make one of these but with a 360 elite controller for me if i paid them?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 9th 2008 10:05PM]

The guy charges the same amount as a 360 to make one. Ironic, ain't it? Besides, the Dual Shock 3 owns the 360 controller any day!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 24th 2008 10:47AM]

This has inspired me to add extra buttons to my G25 wheel by wiring the buttons onto the Sixaxis PCB abd attaching the whole thing to the wheel, just one question is there any other way to connect to the pcb via the surface mount connector where the button grid connects? because i have already ruined one controller when the connector pulled the tracks off the pcb when i was trying to remove it.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 5th 2008 5:52AM]

Just about to do this with an Elite (black) 360 controller and a Dualshock3. Been an expensive outlay! Wish me luck...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 11th 2008 3:56AM]

Good luck! And now get going. I want to see if you can fit the DS3 motors inside the Elite-controller :-)

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 13th 2008 5:50PM]

Just a heads up on the "tamper resistant" torx head: they're actually known as "security torx pin head." Proper screwdriver heads can be found online or in some stores.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 22nd 2008 3:19PM]

Update. DualShock3#1 was destroyed :(. Prising the Thumbstick off the board damaged a couple of them tiny resistors, and attempting to take off the button cable socket completely melted the solder pads off the board.

Been waiting 2 weeks for a new import to arrive (i;m in the UK). It did today, and I'm past the first hurdle. Thumbsticks are off with no damage, and I'm just gonna leave that socket on the board and solder the wires to its pins.

Btw, the motors will be easy they are almost identical anyway, and also the motion sensor is fixed on the controller motherboard so that bit will be a bit easier, if I finally get to that stage.

[(Unverified) Posted May 3rd 2008 1:30PM]

does it still have sixaxis motion sensing

[(Unverified) Posted May 31st 2008 5:03AM]

I failed (again)! I got VERY Close though, which was even harder to bear. Had it powered up, all wired, all buttons and triggers working, last steps was to get the motherboard glued in fixed in exactly the right place and to get the back of the case closed up.

Then a wire (the PS button switch) on that main connector "socket" started playing up and in my attempts to cure it, its started going more and more wrong. Eventually it started generating random button presses and even though there was no identifiable shorts, so I think mabey a component on the mother board got shorted and electronically damaged.

Dudes' this is a HARD project. Mainly because of that connector being so small.

Yup it has motion sensing, but its now an intergral part of the motherboard instead of a extra bit wired on and attached to the case.

I've given up now, cant bear to start again. Still got the remains left if anyone wants them (the 360 Elite controller shell, triggers, resistors, switches, leds etc), may save someone a bit of cost.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 5th 2008 8:00PM]

Id be happy to take it off your hands

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 5th 2008 8:00PM]

Anode = Negative
Cathode = Positive
Just fyi, otherwize sick hack. Never let down by ben, now if i could just get my hands on one of those ps3 laptops haha.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 7th 2008 2:06AM]

I was wondering how you made the PS logo. It looks like your has a plastic cover. Thanks

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 12th 2008 2:27PM]

Buy a ready to use XBOX 360 Tilt/SIXAXIS wireless controller here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180276241707
or just search on eBay for item number – 180276241707
Works in any game on any XBOX 360 console worldwide...see for details

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 28th 2008 3:37PM]

Ive been following this now for awhile and have decided since ben wont build me one, i will build them and sell them. I think its an amazing controller and i hate the ps3. So the hell what about preassure sensitive buttons. These systems are fps oriented anyway. its all about feel and comfort. Any person who says they like the ps3 better is and idiot and hasent played with the 360 controller. Its more natural and amazingly more responsive witht the analog sticks. I wont be using the ps3 sticks either. there too loose and spongy felling. they dont offer much control in my opinion. So if anyone is interested let me know. Oh yeah. That sixaxis motion shit is stupid. it doesnt help at all. Buy a steering wheel if thats what you want. [e-mail] if your interested. Starting my first one tonight. Thank you. Www.teamcram.com will be up soon for ps3 socom and cod4 and five team updates and roster info.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 29th 2008 3:16AM]

Hey, love the mod. But i am far too lazy to do it myself. Is there anyway i can buy one from you. If so email me. If not please email me anyways. Thanks, Blake

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 29th 2008 6:02AM]

Excuse me Ben, but how much do you charge to make one of these conversions?

Also does the controller retain its six-axis function after the mod?

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 11th 2009 8:11AM]

hey did anyone besides Ben here follow these instructions and make the ps360 controller? I need to make sure i'm not wasting my time and $$$ before i actually try to make it.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 24th 2009 11:03PM]

I tried, and failed miserably...

Getting the sticks off the board is the hardest part, believe me...

Leadfree solder sucks!...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 5th 2009 12:36PM]

I think you will need :

- nerves of steel
- lots of time
- even more luck (things go wrong in a heartbeat)
- money to burn (to buy new controllers to try again - and they are not cheap!)

Yes, you will fail, at least the first few times.

Charging the same price as a 360 console for this baby is CHEAP considering the stress, fail rate, time you have to put into this project, price of parts...

The fact that nobody has posted having succeeded at making another one says it all really...

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 29th 2009 8:54PM]

im looking to buy one of these has anyone found them anywhere

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 4th 2009 4:13AM]

Very interesting~

I really want to do one for myself, but I have a little questions.

In the section - "General tips on how the d-pad and buttons are wired:"

>There is a connection that goes to a 4.7k resistor and then to Common M.<

I guess you are talking about the Resistor 2 here, but when I trace the button grid, found that it was connect to "Common R", isn't it? Or I mess up something?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 5th 2009 8:23AM]

Going to be starting mine off soon just waiting for the last few things to arrive, but what about the select button?

and does anyone have any tips?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 9th 2009 9:37AM]

i wish i had the same skillz as you
i wanna mod a sixaxis to fit it in a Guitar Hero controller to play the stupid GH1-2-80s without an ps2 ps3 adapter without whammy.
it would rather be the best thing ever happened.

the only thing that bugs me is when playing with a ps3 controller, the button you press act like a strum+fret. they are double, so the strum bar become useless.

anyway. massive props to you.

Louis

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 22nd 2009 10:05PM]

Would it be posible to make a video tutorial?
It would be way easier, thanks

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 18th 2009 11:15PM]

I want to do something similar to this but a million times easier. I just want to swap out the thumbsticks because the 360 ones are better. Maybe the triggers too because the almost triggers on the PS3 are irritating, Is this possible?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 20th 2009 3:43PM]

there has got to be an easier way to do this.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 15th 2009 7:51PM]

Holy crap that's complicated. I'm 14 and I'm good at stuff like that... but i sure see why he charges $750 for a controller. I might try to do this... but i'll most likely just buy one....

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 15th 2009 1:02AM]

dude could i just like send you 50 bucks and you make one of these fore me haha? and can you do this with the new dual shock controllers?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2009 2:02AM]

how much does it cost in parts if you included everything can you include tools and parts in list if thats not to much to ask this awesome mod cant wait to try

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 30th 2009 1:15PM]

HI, I am attempting this amazing mod and the parts all together aren't that expensive. However, the dremel tool is expensive like 80 odd quid from B&Q in England but if you go on like dremel direct or something you can get the tool itself and erm 25 accessories or something for 40 quid so its not too bad and there are always cheap alternatives. As for the other little parts your looking at pennys like the LEDs and the wires which i might have to accidently steal :) from school or get my dad to get some from work. Overall Nick, for parts i think you'll be looking at say £20 for a wireless 360 controller and £35 for a PS3 controller and then all the parts, say another £50 maximum if you can find some good deals and if you know someone with a big tool bag ;) .
Its not that bad then compared to the massive $750 USD Ben Heck charges.
I can't wait, ill be getting an xbox controller tomorrow ready for modifying!!
Finally I must say thanks to Ben Heck for all this!

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 9th 2009 11:23AM]

Hi, Ben. I just want to tell you that this is very interesting to do and thats why i'm trying it and thank you for having this on the internet. I just have a quick Question on the Home tack switch what did you put underneath that or did you solder it to anything connected to the board and also the Start switch did you just solder that there also without making any whole. Thank you, if you can email me back please thanks.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2009 2:34PM]

Wow,
I am definitely going to try this mod. I love the 360 controller and it is where I first played FPSs on a console, so the PS3 controller feels rather weird. One question though, does anyone know if you have to get LEDs with a certain forward voltage rating, or does it not matter?

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 4:43PM]

Being a 360 fanboy, i don't know whether to enjoy laughing at what PS3 fanboys will do to get a good controller for their systems, or to cry at the destruction of a perfectly good 360 controller.

http://pctipguys.com/

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 4:44PM]

Christ Almighty! This is NOT an easy mod, especially if you have other things to do. I'll say this much: the PS3 controll looks much more elaborate than the 360's.

At least I know what I'm up against when I open this damaged 360 controller here...

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 4:44PM]

Man, what happened to Ben's thumb?
He's had that disgusting looking thumb since the 1st xbox 360 laptop HOW-TO, and it's still taped.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 4:45PM]

This is great! My problem with the PS pads all of these years has been the D-pad that does exactly what I want when I press a direction. Finally, I can have a D-pad that does what I intended only 20% of time time! That extra challenge of hitting 'up' or 'left' will really spice up those older games.

[brentos Posted May 1st 2007 4:45PM]

I agree 100%. Try executing "Soul Steal" in Castlevania: SOTN on an XBox 360 controller...it will make you throw the damn thing across the room.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 6th 2009 3:24PM]

HAHAHA your comment is hilarious. You're absolutely right! Thank you for making my day.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 4:45PM]

Why not just buy a security torx bit/driver? they're not that hard to find.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 12:04PM]

O really. So. I have to get out of Engadget because you say so. Yea right. I still thinking this is stupid. There is no smart use for this. And who with a little bit of “” going to buy an xbox controller, just for disassembly it and us it in a ps3 controller. Sorry if I hurt your fillings but I still thinking this is stupid. I hope you increase your knowledge with this article. lmao! Go ahead! and buy your xbox controller and try it. LMAO

[(Unverified) Posted May 14th 2007 10:06AM]

Well Ben, I honestly thought this was worth a look. I scrolled through quickly at first just checking out the glamour. I was like WTF all this to make a 360 controller have some ps3 buttons/etc. But yeah i get it now I scrolled back and read. not to shabby, but way to much time involved in something that isn't top priority on things that need to be done. never the less good job.

[(Unverified) Posted May 9th 2007 10:28AM]

Yeah - great job... So can someone do the reverse so I stomach buying an XBOX360?

[Juan Posted May 1st 2007 4:45PM]

Clever modding, but I actually prefer the PS controller. I'd like to see a mod going the other direction :)

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 2nd 2008 2:58AM]

there is now haha, they just posted it today.
http://www.slashgear.com/the-ps3-xbox-controller-mod-0113289.php

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 5:03PM]

"and let's hope when Sony throws the rumble back in they take a few minutes to design a new controller around it as well." Why do I get a strange feeling that the “silver boomerang” will resurface with sixa-n-rumble combo...

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 5:03PM]

l no that sony have really small an inaccurate controler's but come on a sony fan boy has to steal the 360 controller and make it run like a sony controller because every one loves how the 360 feel,all this is showing that the 360 controller's are loved by even the sony owners hahahahaha makes me laugh.xbox 360 controllers rule Not that xbox 360 copy controller thing

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 9:40PM]

I for one never have been a big fan of the xbox controller. Too big and cluncky. Also I dont like the offset joysticks on the xbox controller. It doesnt have a natural feel to it.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

Dude, do the world a favor and use this nice little thing called the "PERIOD". (See how I did that right there?) You could use a few more commas as well. I know you know how, as you must be at least 13 to participate on most internet sites. When you properly use punctuation you can get your point across to everyone, because there is no need to guess where your thoughts change. People will then take your comments seriously; your opinion becomes worth considering.

Stop letting your ignorance show just 'cause you are on the internet.

Also that second word in your post should be spelled KNOW as in the word knowledge. Read your posts before posting, you look like an idiot.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 5:03PM]

Though the current PS3 controller IS better than that boomerang that they were showing before the system's launch, it's still a really bad design and has been ever since the original PlayStation. I actually prefer the 360 (or original Xbox) controller because it's much easier to hold. On the PS1, PS2, and PS3 controllers, I have to stretch my thumbs out in a horizontal position and my thumbs cramp up and I can't move the joysticks in the full range of motion. I guess that's just me though...

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 5:02PM]

There was actually a LOT of interest in this mod, more so than I would have ever guessed, so I decided to make a How To rather than try and do it for everyone who was interested. This is one of my major motivations for How-Tos, and my book, to allow people to do these mods themselves if they wish.

Now I must get back to whatever it is I am secretly doing!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 15th 2007 4:27PM]

Okay, Good effort by Ben, but... the name of the mod is sadistic marketing ploy- is it a controller usable on both consoles? Is it an Xbox controller or a Playstation or PS2 or PS3 controller? No, its more like an ad for SIXAXIS. The "PS360" name ruins this for at least half of the endgaget audience if not more.
Adam A, Dantes within his rights- who are you to tell anyone to get off Endgadget?

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:34PM]

You can get off engadget too.Marketing Ploy?Like seriously?And how do you represent half of engadget readers Mr Apple TV?

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:33PM]

Hes so amazing.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 11:36AM]

so does it work on ps3 and xbox360

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

Like how dumb can u be ? The plastic is supposed to count for internal guts too ??? Do PS3 controllers run by default on the 360 ? OBVIOUSLY NO ! Then why the dumb question ?

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 12:03PM]

calm dwn ya geek a bet u gt no frineds

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 15th 2007 6:06PM]

Yeah, but at least he uses proper English language and punctuation. Not TXT language

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 10:01PM]

If anyone needs in Seattle needs any old 360 controllers to gut for this project, the Stupid Prices store in Woodinville, WA has a big box of used wireless 360 controllers at their store for cheap.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 27th 2008 12:40AM]

I LOVE YOU. I was just wondering where I could get one and WHABAM! here you are! Thanks man, I appareciate it!

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:35PM]

I think this mod would be complete if the PS D-Pad was somehow put into the 360 controller. Get the best of everything from both the controllers then.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 15th 2008 8:31PM]

You're right. I'm surprised they didn't put the PS D-Pad in there. It makes no sense to keep the only bad thing about the 360 controller unmodified.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:37PM]

I'm waiting for when they decide to put an XBox or PS controller into what console really kicked off this style of design....the Dreamcast.

http://www.sterniesgameshop.nl/images/full_dreamcast_controller.gif

Really, when the original XBox controller came out, I thought it was a joke, because of the exact duplication of the buttons, as XYAB, same exact colors, just rotated to blue/yellow/green/red instead of yellow/green/red/blue. (side by side? they're the exact same colors--- http://www.deafgamers.com/controller_s1.jpg)

They just added another control stick...and ta da!

(Though really, once they started to impliment it, having the double VMU slots in the controller displaying images/animations was pretty damn slick...I'd take that over anything nowaday)

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 21st 2007 9:27AM]

Sorry all are copies of the original NiGHTS controller

http://www.segagagadomain.com/hardware-sat/hard-analoguepad.htm

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 31st 2008 1:34PM]

I dunno... I loathed the Dreamcast's controller even though I absolutely loved the system. For one thing, there just weren't enough buttons for more than just a few of the games. Ever played Slave Zero? Yeah, having to hit up on the d-pad to jump while moving forward with the analog stick absolutely sucked.

And those little plastic nubs on the analog stick freaking hurt.

[NickB Posted May 1st 2007 7:37PM]

why does everyone complain so much about the playstation controller?

its simple and has a ton of functionality to it. its solid and lends itself well to simple games to the extremely complex.

if it ain't broke, don't fix it. besides, even if they did try something new, no doubt people would complain about that too

:D

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:37PM]

Me, I'm far more interested in the reverse-- a PS3 controller modded to work with the 360. Why? Because the d pad on the 360 controller is honestly the biggest piece of s**t d pad the world has ever seen, whereas the PS controllers are superb. I actually prefer the PS3 analog sticks too, but I know that's personal preference. Try playing SF2 or even Castlevania SOTN on a PS2 or PS3 controller and then switch to the 360... the difference is ENORMOUS.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 5:33PM]

There is a controller out by Mad Catz. Now I usually dont like the Mad Catz designs when it comes to controllers, but I bought a mini 360 controller, with a fixed up D-pad, and it workes soooo well. Also... It has a turbo button, so those games that need a button to be pressed a thousand times a second will be much easier.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:37PM]

What happened to the pressure-sensitive face buttons? You can't just replace them with tact switches and not even mention the lost functionality!

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

I wondered about that too. I never figured out how to use them, not having a PS2/3, but I knew they were there, and that they are important in some games.

With all the mods, how hard would it be to just extend the traces appropriately?

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:37PM]

You are amazing. I want to be like you when I grow up.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 9:14PM]

Haha thats really cool. I definitely prefer the PS controller over Xbox. I think that was one of xbox's worst moves. (Submitted to tweako - http://www.tweako.com )

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 7:58PM]

I've always hated the PS controller design. The one for Xbox is soo much better.

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 10:27PM]

dlsjdlfjslkdf

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2007 11:18PM]

Am I weird...I like both designs, and I own neither console.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 31st 2008 1:31PM]

Yes, you are weird.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 12:08AM]

Am I the only one that noticed that he never reconnected the select button?

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:47AM]

My brain hurts just looking at the photos... whats really gotta suck is to have gone through all of that on the eve of the Black 360 announcement... "DOH"!

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

Man having been playing with sony's joypad and xbox360's IMO sony's dualshock/sixaxis is better than xbox 360's. especially the grip and d-pad.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

I can't possibly see how anyone could prefer the playstation controllers to the 360's...mabye OLD Xbox controllers(the S and the Duke), but not the 360's. Aside from the shithouse d-pad, it's easily the best controller ever released...

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 9:48AM]

360 wanabees

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 10:12PM]

i am a 360 fanboy and i thought that was pretty cool... but the real question here is if he coulg do that with a Wii remote! let me know when he does that and i will call him God! Who's with me?!?!

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 10:24AM]

why buy a crappy PS3 if you like the 360 So Much

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 22nd 2007 12:39PM]

^^good point, lol

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 11:24AM]

An amazing piece of work, Ben. Thank you!
I will chime that, the 360 controller D-Pad sucks.
I have a PS3 and this mod might be doable except, I've gotten tendonitis from using the 360 controller. The PS3 is actually lighter and easier on one the tendons. I suspect that the design (cheap parts) of the 360 controller over the older "S" controller is the reason.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 12:03PM]

lol

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 3:16PM]

lol lol

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 12:19PM]

Nice job too bad it still has the same crappy d-pad. Really though I applaud your effort that is a cool undertaking.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 12:24PM]

Well I guess you could throw in the PS3 d-pad. I grant you the 360's d-pad isn't exactly the queen of the country fair, but in this case I wanted it to be as 360-like as possible.

Other than that I think the 360 controller is one of the best ever.

Yes I realize I didn't show myself placing the select buttons, but the pinouts are all there so I think a person can kind of figure out what to do.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 10:01PM]

Still wouldn't make me even consider buying a ps3. making a better controller wont fix the system.

[(Unverified) Posted May 2nd 2007 10:08PM]

Umm, PS3 doesn't have a wired version FYI.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 24th 2008 9:19PM]

It does, I have one.

[(Unverified) Posted May 3rd 2007 11:51AM]

It seems like this is a painfully difficult mod... any for what?? It seems to me that all it does is it puts a new shell on a PS3 controller... and that is all. What I would like to see (in any shell) is someway to control a computer with it... plug it in USB and be able to move the pointer by just tilting around. Maybe that exists already... I'd buy a PS3 controller just for that! :D

[(Unverified) Posted May 3rd 2007 8:56PM]

Just one question: WHY?

[(Unverified) Posted May 6th 2007 11:47AM]

Well, this is a great mod. but im not even gonna try. Three reasons.

1. too hard to do
2. too much time
3. READ THIS REASON AT OWN RISK!






The REAL #3. I have both an Xbox360 AND a PS3. DONT HURT ME!

[(Unverified) Posted May 4th 2007 2:29PM]

Make a generic controller !!!

have a switch to change configs of both a PS3 and a 360, the best of both worlds !!!

So cool...

[(Unverified) Posted May 10th 2007 10:49AM]

I think that it was a good idea and i think it's good you put that much effort into it. but which system does it work for if any?

for the people talkin bout which is better, i like the PS controller bucause it is smaller and better adjusted but i like the way the X-Box cotroller is made since it has better analog controll and things like that. so i think they both have advatages and disadvanteges.

[(Unverified) Posted May 11th 2007 7:56PM]

wow that is a